posted 05-25-2012 06:11 PM
I love the blue and black color scheme. Very nice patch, however I would have liked to have seen a little more Earth detail.

On edit: I guess as far as Earth detail it is fine but a little less swoosh behind ISS indicating the orbit so that the Earth detail can be seen better.

johntosullivanMember

Posts: 151From: Cork, Cork, IrelandRegistered: Oct 2005

posted 05-28-2012 06:28 AM
Is it me, or does it look Law-Enforcement-ish?

J BlackburnMember

Posts: 156From: Riner, Virginia USARegistered: Sep 2011

posted 05-28-2012 02:24 PM
At first glance it looked LE to me as well but being I am a Police Officer I like it. I have always enjoyed the blue and black combination of colors, I guess that is why the Expedition 30 patch is one of my favorite along with Expedition 33.

Fezman92Member

Posts: 1030From: New Jersey, USARegistered: Mar 2010

posted 05-28-2012 02:29 PM
I am a bit surprised that there isn't anything to acknowledge Hopkins as the first "Chump" to fly.

hoorenzMember

Posts: 886From: The NetherlandsRegistered: Jan 2003

posted 06-14-2012 11:48 AM
In that case, it should also have been noted that Ryazansky is the first to fly from cosmonaut selection group IMBP-6 and Parmitano the first from the "Shenanigans".

Robert PearlmanEditor

Posts: 32226From: Houston, TXRegistered: Nov 1999

posted 08-30-2012 03:49 PM
Editor's note: The ISS Expedition 37 insignia as was first released in May (pictured above) has been replaced by the crew with the version below.

ISS Expedition 37 mission patch

The International Space Station's (ISS) Expedition 37 begins with the scheduled undocking of Soyuz TMA-08M in September 2013. Three new crew members will arrive shortly thereafter on Soyuz TMA-10M.

Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, created some 525 years ago, as a blend of art and science and a symbol of the medical profession, is depicted amongst the orbits of a variety of satellites circling the Earth at great speed.

Da Vinci's drawing, based on the proportions of man as described by the Roman architect Vitruvius, is often used as a symbol of symmetry of the human body and the universe as a whole. Almost perfect in symmetry as well, the International Space Station, with its solar wings spread out and illuminated by the first rays of dawn, is pictured as a mighty beacon arcing upwards across our night skies, the ultimate symbol of science and technology of our age.

Six stars represent the six members of Expedition 37 crew, which includes two cosmonauts with a medical background, as well as a native of Da Vinci's Italy.

hoorenzMember

Posts: 886From: The NetherlandsRegistered: Jan 2003

posted 08-30-2012 03:53 PM
It is a combination of two designs, one by Jorge Cartes and one by Luc van den Abeelen. I also played a small role myself: I made the drawing of the ISS and produced the final vector version. NASA only changed some of the colors slightly and by doing so, unfortunately highlighted some masking lines around the flags. The original image can be found here.

dogcrew5369Member

Posts: 619From: Statesville, NCRegistered: Mar 2009

posted 08-30-2012 05:47 PM
I really like the new version. Shades of Skylab 2. So, the first design is void and done? If so, would it be collectible as a rarity?

hoorenzMember

Posts: 886From: The NetherlandsRegistered: Jan 2003

posted 08-31-2012 03:09 AM
It is not 'rare' in relation to the mission. It was never really intended to be the Expedition-37 patch. As such, it was also not 'replaced'.

Voyager2012New Member

Posts: From: Registered:

posted 08-31-2012 12:14 PM
I also saw that the lapel pin was also made of the original Expedition 37 patch. Does anyone know if they made the Spaceflight Awareness decal or not?

hoorenzMember

Posts: 886From: The NetherlandsRegistered: Jan 2003

posted 08-31-2012 12:25 PM
I do not think any decalls were made.

Voyager2012New Member

Posts: From: Registered:

posted 08-31-2012 12:30 PM
Thanks Erik. I didn't think so either.

dogcrew5369Member

Posts: 619From: Statesville, NCRegistered: Mar 2009

posted 09-01-2012 01:21 PM

quote:Originally posted by hoorenz:...the first design was never intended to be the Expedition-37 patch.

As noted here the old patch was not intended to be the mission patch which confuses me. If it was approved by NASA and produced and then sold why was it never intended to be the official patch? That seems really odd to me unless I'm missing something.

This is the first time I can recall this process being followed in respect to having a patch approved, manufactured and distributed.

Voyager2012New Member

Posts: From: Registered:

posted 09-01-2012 02:29 PM
Yeah I was wondering about that myself.

hoorenzMember

Posts: 886From: The NetherlandsRegistered: Jan 2003

posted 09-01-2012 06:01 PM
The process was apparently organized in such a way, that it was possible that a different design than the one the crew had submitted to NASA or were still working on, could be submitted by the JSC graphics department to NASA management for official approval.

The error was caught before NASA released their own artwork for Expedition-37 (they never released it), but not before AB Emblem was ordered to produce and start distributing the embroidered patch.

To prevent this from happening again, the approval process for the ISS crew patches was recently modified. The final artwork can no longer be approved without the signature of the Expedition commander and the other two 'leading' crew members. The signatures of the three 'joining' crew members is desired, but not required.

PowerCatMember

Posts: 148From: Herington, KS, USARegistered: Feb 2006

posted 09-03-2012 10:30 AM
Already having received the "first" version patch in my collection, I was very impressed with this official Expedition 37 patch. It looks fantastic. I can't wait to add this to my collection.

Robert PearlmanEditor

Posts: 32226From: Houston, TXRegistered: Nov 1999

posted 01-14-2013 01:12 PM
AB Emblem has received approval of the new version of the Expedition 37 insignia. This emblem will be available in approximately two weeks.

Credit: AB Emblem

RussianMember

Posts: 57From: FranceRegistered: Nov 2012

posted 05-31-2013 06:51 AM
I see on Luca's onboard suit ISS 37 patch with border. AB Emblem produced for NASA ISS 36 patches without border and they were on training suits and on the blue suits of the crew in Baikonur.

hoorenzMember

Posts: 886From: The NetherlandsRegistered: Jan 2003

posted 05-31-2013 07:14 AM
Correct. It was meant by the designers (Jorge and Luc) to have no border, so it was produced that way by AB Emblem. As you can also see in some preflight pictures, it means that the stitching (from attaching them to the flight suits) runs throught the names and flags, which is not very pretty.

Fyodor Yurchikhin decided (maybe for this reason) that he liked a patch with a border better, so he asked Spacepatches.nl to produce such a version for his personal use.

Now, it was actually very good we had these bordered patches available, because - mainly due to delays in customs - the original AB Emblem patches without border were received too late to be used on the Kentavr suits (deadline was December, for the suits to go up ahead of the crew on the February Progress).

RussianMember

Posts: 57From: FranceRegistered: Nov 2012

posted 05-31-2013 07:21 AM
Yurchikhin produced his own patch ISS 37 called "Planet of Colours," just sold on eBay.

hoorenzMember

Posts: 886From: The NetherlandsRegistered: Jan 2003

posted 05-31-2013 07:23 AM
I also saw Fyodor's Expedtion 37 version on eBay (it sold for something like 70 dollars I believe, the seller got it from someone at Star City) but kept quiet about it... There is already so much confusion about all the different versions.

KSCartistMember

Posts: 2680From: Titusville, FL USARegistered: Feb 2005

posted 05-31-2013 10:06 AM
That Yurchikhin version is the design that Jorge and I created long ago. It was only made possible thanks to Erik and Jacques that the crew saw it at all.

Did Yurchikhin offer it for sale himself? Maybe I should sell mine?

hoorenzMember

Posts: 886From: The NetherlandsRegistered: Jan 2003

posted 05-31-2013 10:37 AM
The seller got it from someone working at Star City, who in turn must have gotten it from Yurchikhin.

mama04Member

Posts: 146From: Haarlem, N-H, NetherlandsRegistered: Sep 2010

posted 05-31-2013 01:24 PM
As the buyer of the patch on eBay, I for one am very interested in the story behind this patch. When I saw it on eBay I was mystified as to it's origin because I sure had not seen it before.

I actually thought it might be a self made patch, but a very nicely designed one. Last week I thought the price I paid was a little steep, it might actually have been a bargain now...

hoorenzMember

Posts: 886From: The NetherlandsRegistered: Jan 2003

posted 05-31-2013 01:54 PM
This design by Jorge and Tim (dubbed by the Russians "Planet of Flowers", or "Planet of Colours") was first taken to Houston by Expedition-32 commander Gennadi Padalka in late 2010. There, somewhat to his surprise, he was told that a design had already been approved for his flight. Padalka accepted this and encouraged Jorge and Tim to propose the artwork to a future Russian ISS commander.

In the Spring of 2011, it was shown to then Expedition-37 commander Maxim Suraev, who also liked it. When Maxim was replaced by Fyodor Yurchikhin in early December 2011, Fyodor immediately adopted the patch. Together with Oleg Kotev, he requested some small changes and in January 2012, he took it to Houston once more. There, he got the same message that Padalka had heard: ,,Your flight already has a patch.'' Fyodor was shown the shield-shaped artwork that is at the top of this discussion.

Despite the fact that Fyodor rejected the shield-shaped design, it was somehow approved by NASA and sent to AB Emblem for production. It was around this time that Fyodor found out that Pavel Vinogradov did experience a similar problem with the Expedition-36 patch. The cosmonauts decided to join forces and had their own Expedition-36 and Expedition-37 designs embroidered. They planned to wear these during the photoshoot in Houston in July 2012, so their wishes could no longer be ignored.

It would not come that far. The issue was discussed at the Multilateral Crew Operations Panel in early June 2012. Here, it was confirmed that the ISS commander is the person responsible for reaching consensus about a patch design. Only if he would happen to miss a deadline of launch minus 18 months, the crew would have to accept a generic patch. It was decided bybtje panel that both the Expedition-36 and 37 patches would go back to the designing phase.

Pavel was now politely asked by NASA if he could accept their Expedition-36 design, which had already been officially released and had been very well received, if elements from his own artwork were added. As we know, Pavel agreed to this.

Fyodor was told that he could reject NASA's shield-shaped patch but only if he would also let go of Jorge's and Tim's design. If Fyodor chose this option, he would have to come up with new artwork in just a couple of weeks. Fyodor took the challenge and this is how Jorge's and Luc's Da Vinci patch - now supported by the entire crew - in record time became the third and only official design.

Even though the Da Vinci design became the official mission insignia, Fyodor insisted that a larger version of the 'Planet of Flowers', this time with an overlock border, would be produced as a personal memento (the top patch in the image below). The bottom version of the patch was produced by Tsenki, the Russian center for ground based space infrastructure facilities operation, for distribution at Baikonur.

Some final words about this to Jorge and Tim. I still remember the day when I first saw this design and I am really, really sorry we did not manage to have it approved as an official ISS Expedition patch. I think it would have deserved it!

hoorenzMember

Posts: 886From: The NetherlandsRegistered: Jan 2003

posted 05-31-2013 02:54 PM
And here is the version with the overlock border (as worn in space on the Kentavr suits).

Bill NelsonMember

Posts: 110From: Lakewood, Colorado U.S.A.Registered: Jul 2006

posted 05-31-2013 05:09 PM
Is there any way to get the patch with the border?

hoorenzMember

Posts: 886From: The NetherlandsRegistered: Jan 2003

posted 05-31-2013 05:29 PM
Try Jacques! I have no idea how many of these were produced and where exactly they did go, but usually he keeps some for collectors.

KAPTECMember

Posts: 551From: Madrid, SpainRegistered: Oct 2005

posted 06-01-2013 12:18 PM
Well... all the story is now revealed. And I'm a little sorry for that. Perhaps this poor "Planet of Flowers" would have finally flown as the patch of a future crew. Erik please do not say sorry not at all by this. You only gave us a real support, and we (and specially myself) have only words of thanks to you, Fyodor, Pavel and Kotob.(Oh, and I am still loving the actual E37... without border, like the original Apollo 17 artwork was)

hoorenzMember

Posts: 886From: The NetherlandsRegistered: Jan 2003

posted 06-01-2013 02:05 PM
If it had not appeared on eBay or here, I am sure one day soon it would have shown up anyway, and we would have had to explain.

QuiGon GrinMember

Posts: 49From: Rutherford, NJ 07070Registered: Apr 2010

posted 06-05-2013 10:59 PM
What was the thought process behind the "Planet of Flowers" design? Is there a reason for the overlapping borders and usage of colors or was it just done for sheer whimsy?

The three stars I assume represent the homes of each Soyuz crew member, but as an ISS Expedition patch why only three?

KSCartistMember

Posts: 2680From: Titusville, FL USARegistered: Feb 2005

posted 06-06-2013 04:31 AM
We were trying to think outside the box to illustrate the beauty and magic that is spaceflight. If we had gone a more traditional route it would have been too much a copy of the Expedition 15 patch.

The stars are placed in the US, Italy and Russia. The home countries of the crew.

I too want to thank Erik for championing this design to the cosmonauts. Without his help it would never have been considered.

KSCartistMember

Posts: 2680From: Titusville, FL USARegistered: Feb 2005

posted 06-21-2013 06:55 AM
A friend who wishes to remain anonymous, sent Fyodor (Yurchikhin) the message that one of the two designers of the "planet of flowers" patch was in the hospital, and that I had to be shocked four times to get him back. So, this was his own idea (note the colorful letters and the flower!).

Fyodor loved that patch - one of the reasons why he wanted this to be his mission emblem, was that his wife also loves it.

I got choked up just looking at it (that happens a lot these days). Putting aside the whole patch controversy, that Fyodor took the time to do this means so much.

RonpurMember

Posts: 661From: Brandon, FlRegistered: May 2012

posted 06-21-2013 04:33 PM
Wow, that is awesome, Tim!

Space Emblem ArtMember

Posts: 187From: Citrus Heights, CA - USARegistered: Jan 2006

posted 06-22-2013 06:41 PM
Tim, I guess you can truly say that you have friends in high places.

Jacques van OeneMember

Posts: 738From: Houten, The NetherlandsRegistered: Oct 2001

posted 09-08-2013 11:02 AM

quote:Originally posted by Bill Nelson:Is there any way to get the patch with the border?

The Expedition 37 patch with border is now available for sale price 10 Euro and shipping.

It could be that this patch will be on the Sokol suits during the launch of the TMA-10M crew.

posted 09-13-2013 05:46 AM
Here is a picture of one of the Expedition 37/38 onboard suits produced by Kentavr, with the Spacepatches.nl produced Expedition-37 patch with border. The TMA-10M Sokols will have the Expedition-37 AB Emblem patch.